Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Daniel Thomas Phipps, Ali Holder, Jon Napier, and Jacob Jaeger


So on this past Sunday afternoon I headed over to Strange Brew to check out the Sunday Bedlam.  The musicians hosting the event were Daniel Thomas Phipps and Ali Holder, and they were joined by Jon Napier and Jacob Jaeger. 
I got to the show a little late.  The crowd was fairly small, and the venue sort of quiet. 
The music was good, but the atmosphere was a little subdued.  I think that there was probably a little bit of diappointment on the part of the musicians.  Their audience was pretty much made up of a few friends, Strange Brew employees, and me (I was probably the only guy in the room who didn't know anyone else).
The music was really good, though.
As usual, the sound guy at Strange Brew did a great job, and the vocals and guitars sounded clear and balanced with just a touch of reverb.
Daniel Thomas Phipps and Ali Holder are apparently used to playing together, and they did a good job backing one another up when either took a turn playing a song.  Phipps has a good voice and is a pretty skilled player on the acoustic guitar.
Ali Holder was sort of chatty and funny between songs.  She has a strong, clear singing voice with a bit of a sad, southern twinge to it.  Her songs are mournful and pretty.  She sounds like she could be fronting a country band or singing vocals in a smokey lounge somewhere.  Her sunny disposition at the show, greeting friends and making jokes, stood in contrast to the forlorn sound of her music.  It was sort of hard to reconcile her personality with the sound of her voice.  But I enjoyed her songs.

I had never seen Jon Napier before.  He had a sort of gentle touch on the guitar and a sort of quiet, introspective quality to his performance.  I enjoyed him.  Whereas many of the singer-songwriters that I've seen recently seem almost eager to pour their hearts out and forcefully sing you their thoughts, Napier seemed a little more hesitant and almost reluctant.  Maybe it was his personality shining through or just his level or comfort with the setting on Sunday afternoon, but I found that the slightly more subdued nature of his performance lent it some of the earnestness and credibility that singer-songwriters so frequently try to convey.  His voice, like the guitar, was a little more soft and subtle than some others, but I liked it.

Jacob Jaeger, by contrast, was a more confident, forceful performer.  I found him interesting as well.  He played guitar with a sort of flamenco style of strumming pattern.  He played a number of different styles, from a song in Spanish with lyrics written by his grandfather, to a bluegrass style folk song.  He played harmonica as well, and did a good job using it to accompany the guitar.  Good voice.  Full and strong.

A woman named Amy Sue Berlin, an audience member who is also a musician, appeared onstage and sang a song upon Ali Holder's request.  I found her fun and interesting.  She only played one song, but she had an interesting voice, and witty, intelligent lyrics.  Although I think she was just singing with her normal voice and not putting on an affect, her singing quality had an almost child-like quality to it.  Probably bound to be a little divisive (you're either going to find enjoy her voice or you won't), but I liked her.  I found her fun and funny.

I enjoyed the show.  More people should come out to the sunday afternoon shows at Strange Brew, especially the Sunday Bedlam stuff.  The shows are free, and there are some great people over there playing some really great music in a venue with superb sound quality.  I'm always shocked that the place isn't more crowded for those shows.

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